System of aeroplane control.



E. P. GALLAUDET, SYSTEM OF AEROPLANE CONTROL.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 30, 1910.

1,058,422. Patented Apr. 8, 1918.

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Inventor Atty E. P. 'GALLAUDET.

SYSTEM OF AEROPLANE CONTROL. APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1910.

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V K 8 I 80g; #4 Wm 2 f In ventor @ZIM/Mw. Atty UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDSON F. GALLAUDET, 0F NORWICH, CONNECTICUT.

SYSTEM OF AEROPLANE CONTROL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom 2'2 may concern Be it known that I, EnsoN F. GALLAUDET, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Norwich, in the county of New London and State of Connect-icut,have invented a certain new and useful System of Aeroplane Control, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to a system of aeroplane control which is applicable both to monoplanes and multiplanes, whether gliders or motor driven, having wings or sustaining surfaces of a curved or angular section; and it has for its object to provide improved means and methods for balancing and steering flying-machines of the aeroplane type.

Most of the aeroplanes which have heretofore been successfully operated have been provided with wings substantially parabolic in section and have been maintained in lateral balance by some form of warping of at least one wing surface on each side of the machine.

I have found that entirely satisfactory results can be obtained, without any warping or changing of the angle of incidence either of the main wing or of supplemental wing surfaces, by producing, when required either for balancing or steering, differential changes in the respective areas of the front or forwardly inclined entering section and of the backwardly inclined rear or trailing section of the wing on one side, or preferably of the wings on both sides of the machine. For example, whenever it is desired to raise the wing tip on one side of the machine, either to restore the machine to lateral balance or to tilt it over tot-he opposite side, I expand the backwardly inclined rear surface of the wing by extending a thin plate or other supplemental surface mounted to slide thereon either back behind the following edge or laterally out beyond the end of the main wing surface and, at the same time, contract the area of its for wardly inclined front section by withdrawing from an extended position either directly forward or at the end a second plate or supplemental surface slidably mounted there- .-on.;. and,. simultaneously therewith, I also preferably depress the wing tip on the other side,v of flthe machine by contracting the area of its backwardly inclined rear section and extending the area of its forwardly inclined areas of the forward depressing and of'the' rear lifting sections of curved or angular wlngs, either on one side only or simultaneously and reversely on both sides, for the purpose of tilting the machine or restoring it to lateral balance when tilted; The invention also includes the novel features and combinations of parts hereinafter described and more specifically pointed out in the claims.

The invention may be adapted for use either independently of or in conjunction with a system of control by means of gradients and balancing and steering rudders which constitutes the subject matter of another application of even date herewith.

Two monoplane gliding machines em- Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

Application filed April 30, 1910. Serial No. 558,678.

bodying modified forms of my invention adapted, by a fore and aft differential move- 3 ment thereof, to serve to maintain the lateral balance of the machine; Fig. 2, an en larged detail of the port wing tip showing the construction of and cables for operating the slides indicated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a perspective view similar to Fig. 1, but showing modified forms of slides mounted at the tip of each of the main wings and adapted, by the lateral differential movement thereof, to serve to maintain lateral balance; Fig. 4, an enlarged detail'of the port Wing tip showing the construction of and cables for operating the slides indicated in Fig. 3; Figs. 5 and 6, a left side and rear end view, respectively, partly in section and on an enlarged scale, of a modified form of the swinging steering wheel controlling mechanism shown and described by me in my companion application,

adapted to operate and control the gradients,

"Fig; 7,-a diagram showing the cableconnections by which the various movements of the steering wheel are transmitted not only to actuate the balancing slides but also to actuate steering and balancing gradients and rudders according to the system of control set forth in my companion application.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the aeroplane there illustrated comprises'the main wings 1, which are rigidly fastened a little forward of the middle of the main spar 2, and the forward gradient 3, reargradient 4, forward double rudder 5 5, and rear double rudder 6 6. Slides 7 and 8 are mounted near the tip of the port wing and similar slides 9 and 10 near the tip of the starboard wing. The slides are made of thin plates of aluminum or other suitable material, the forward slides 7 and 9 being bent to conform to the curvature of a circular are which approximates more closely to the theoretically perfect parabolic curvature required by the best practice forthis portion of the wing, and the rear slides 8 and 10 being bent to conform to the flattened curvature 'of the rear section of the wing. The slide 7, sliding in guide-channels 11, and the slide 8, sliding in guide-channels 12, fastened re spectively to the front and rear upper surface of the wing, are connected together by hinged links 13 which are connected at their front ends by pins 14 to hinges 15 at the rear edge of slide 7 and at their rear ends by pins 16 to hinges 17 at the forward edge of slide 8 The two slides thus pivotally connected are actuated, either forwardly or backwardly, by the cables 18 and 19 which are carried from a central controlling device out between the upper and lower surfaces of the wing, over sheaves 20 and 21 and through holes 22 and 23 in the upper surface, to the inner edges of the slides to which they are secured, respectively; and by'drawin on the cable 19 and slacking cable 18 both slides are moved forward so as to advance the front edge of slide 7 beyond the front and to draw the rear edge of slide 8 in toward the rear ed e of the wing, thereby increasing the area an the depressing action of the forwardly inclined front section of the wing and cor respondingly decreasing the area and lifting action of the backwardly inclined rear section of the wing and tending to depress the tip of the wing upon which they are mounted. The slides 9 and 10 are similarly con nected and mounted and are operated by cables similar to the cables 18 and 19, all four cables being actuated by the central controlling mechanism so that, when the.

slides on one wing are moved forward the slides on the other wing are moved bacle,

ward, and vice versa. A couple is thus pro duced which, acting around the longitudinal axis of the aeroplane in one direction or the other as desired, may be used either to tilt the machine to one side in rounding a curve or to restore it to lateral balance when it is tilted over to one side.

In the modified form illustrated in Figs. 8 and 4, the aeroplane comprises the main wings 24, main fore and aft spar 25, forward gradient 26, rear gradient 27, forward double rudder 28, and rear double rudder 29, as before. The slides 30 and 31 on the port wing, with corresponding slides 32 and 33 on the starboard wing, preferably bent, as shown, to conform to the curvature of the wing, are here mounted to slide laterally in and out of the end of the wing in guide-channels 34 and 35 and 35 and 36, respectively, built into the end of the wing between its upper and lower surfaces. A cabla 39 is secured to the end of a tongue 37 extending inwardly from the slide 30 and a cable 40 is secured to the end of a similar tongue extending inwardly from the slide 35 31, the two cables forming a single continuous cable which is carried between the up per and lower surfaces of the wing from the central controlling device out to and around the idler sheaves 41 and then back to the controlling device. The action of these slides is closely analogous to that of the slides previously described. Thus, by drawing on one of the cables and slacking the other the forward or rear slide will be projected out from and the other slide withdrawn into the end of the wing, as the case may be, thereby differentially changing the areas and the action of the-forwardly inclined front section and the backwardly inclined rear section of the wing; and, as the cables connecting the central controlling device with the slides 81--. and 82 are so connected that whenever the front slide 30 is projected 01 t-wardly the rear slide 33 is also projected outwardly, and vice versa, a tilting or righting couple is thereby produced. around the longitudinal axis of the machine.

In both of the specific embodiments of my .-invention described above the slides have been shown as curved to conform to the curvature of the front and rear wing sections on which they are shown as mounted.

It is obvious, however, that flat sliding plates or surfaces may be employed and mounted to slide in straight guides upon or Within thecurvcd wing sections or that the wing sections on which the slides are mounted may be flattened for the purpose.

The control mechanism illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, and shown in Fig. 7 in connection with the specific monoplane machine illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, is equally applicable to the modified form illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 and may also be used with any aeroplane equipped with movable surfaces for balancing and steering. The steering wheel 42 is mounted at its lower end to rotate the steering shaft 43 which is suspended through the medium of the universal joint 44 from the bevel gear 45, the upper member of the universal joint being cast in one piece with the gear. The gear 45 is supported by and rotates upon the headed pin 46 (shown by dotted lines), which forms a downward extension of the lower vertical arm of the cross 47, and engages bevel gears 48 and 49, which in turn are journaled, respectively, on pins 50 and 51 (shown by dotted lines) forming fore and aft extensions of the horizontal arms of the cross 47 and bearing in the brackets 52 which are fastened to the roof of theaeroplane body and support the weight of the whole control mechanism. The sheaves 53 and 54 are mounted at the backs to rotate with, as by casting in one piece therewith, the rear gear 48 and the forward gear 49, respectively, and a third sheave 55 is mounted back of the rear bracket 52 on the extended end of the horizontal pin 50 and fixed to rotate therewith by the key 56. The cross 47 has transverse extension arms 57 terminating in pins 58 which support the link-bars 59 and 60, respectively, the lower ends of which terminate in collars 61 pivoted on the trunnions 62 of a sleeve 63 working loosely on the steering shaft a short distance above the steering wheel. The starboard link-bar is extended a short distance above its supporting pin 58 and is provided with holes 64 and 64* at equal distances above and below the pin, respectively. The sheave 55 is operatively connected. both with the front and rear slides 7 and.8 on the port wing of the machine, by the cables 18 and 19 leading respectively from the top of the sheave around the idler sheave 20 to the rear edge of slide 7 and from the bottom of the sheave around the idler sheave 21 too the front edge of slide 8, and with the front and rear slides 9 and 10 on the starboard wing, by the cables 18 and 19 leading respectively from its top around the idler sheave 20 to the rear edge of slide 9 and from its bottom around the idler sheave 21 to the front edge of slide 10. The link-bar 69 is operatively connected with the forward gradient 3 by the direct cables 65 "and 65*, the former secured at one end in the upper hole 64and at the other end to the upper arm of the tiller 100 and the latter secured at one end in the lower hole 64, and .at the other to the lower arm of the tiller 100, and also with the rear gradient 4 by the crossed cables 66 and 66, the former secured at one end in the upper hole 64 and at the other end to the lower arm of the tiller 101 andthe latter at one end in the lower hole 64 and at the other to the upper arm of the tiller 101. The sheave 53 is operatively connected with the upper for ward rudder '5 by the cable 84 which leads from the upper side of the sheave around idler sheaves 85 to the rear arm of the tiller sheave 54 is operatively connected with the lower forward rudder 5 by the cable 88 which leads from the top of the sheave around idler sheaves 89 to the forward arm of the tiller 72 mounted to rotate the rudderpost 71 and by the cable 90 which leads from its lower side around idler sheaves 91 to the rear arm of the tiller 72. The sheave 54 is also operatively connected with the upper rear rudder 6 by the cable 92 leading from its upper sidearoundidler sheaves 93 to the rear arm of the tiller 75 mounted to rotate the rudder-post 74 and by the cable 94 leading from its under side around idler sheaves 95 to the front arm of the tiller 75. And thesheave 53 is also 0 eratively connected with the lower rear rudder 6 by the cables 96 and 98 leading re.- spectively from its upper side around 1dler sheaves 97 to the forward arm of the tiller 78 mounted to rotate the rudder-post 77 and from its lower side around idler sheaves 99 to the rear arm of the tiller 78.. I

It is evident that the transverse swinging of the steering wheel and shaft will, through the action of the link-bars 59 and 60, give equal angular movements to the three sheaves, 53, 54, and 55, and thereby will cause the balancing slides on one wing of the aeroplane to moveforward and those on the other wing to move backward, while the upper and lower rudders will at the same time be turned differentially, the two upper rudders in one direction and the two lower rudders in the opposite direction. The axial rotation of the steering wheel and shaft will, by reason of the meshlng of the gear 45 with the gears 48 and 49, give a diflerential rota tion to the sheaves 53 and 54 and thereby turn the forward and rear rudders differentially, the two forward rudders in one direction and the two rear rudders in the opposite direction The axial rotation of the steering wheel and shaft simultaneously with a lateral movement thereof will impart the compounded resultant of these two movements to each of the four rudders. And the fore and aft swinging of the steering wheel and shaft will, through the rocking of the' link-bar 60 upon its pivot, produce equal and opposite movements of the upper and lower cables 65 and 65 and of the upper and lower crossed cables 66 and 66, thereby tilting both forward and rear gradients to the same extent but in oppositev directions. It is also evident that by giving sufiicient Weight to the steering wheel, or by mounting the operators seat upon a swinging frame detachably connected with the steering wheel so that the weight of the operator will supplement that of the wheel, the operations for balancing the aeroplane, both fore and aft and laterally, may be made automatic as far as the operator may wish to have them For example, when the steering wheel is swung to port, either by the hand of the operator or by action of gravity on the heeling over of the machine, the slides 7 and 8 on the port wing will be moved backward and the slides 9 and 10 on the starboard wing will be moved forward so that, as the machine advances through the air, the port wing'will be raised and the starboard wing will, be depressed, thus causing the machine to tilt over tostarboard or to overcome a tilt to port, as the case may be; and at the same time the two upper rudders 5 and 6 will be turned so as to present compression surfaces on their port sides and the two lower rudders 5 and 6 will be turned so as to present compression surfaces on their starboard sides, thus producing a tilting or righting couple around the longitudinal axis of the machine in the same direction as and supplemental to the couple produced by the movement of the slides. When the steering wheel is rotated clockwise (2'. 0., the front edge of the wheel moving to starboard), the forward upper and lower rudders 5 and 5 will both be turned to an angle of incidence on their port sides and the rear upper and lower rudders 6 and 6 will both be turned to an angle of incidence on their starboard sides, thereby causing the machine to turn horizontally to starboard. Consequently, if it is desired both to turn the machine sharply to starboard and at the same time to tilt it over to anticipate the action of the centrifugal force set up in rounding the curve, it is only necessary to turn the steering vheel clockwise and at the same time swing it out to port. The above movements of the steering wheel, slides, rudders, and connecting cables are shown and may be followed by the arrows in Fig. 7, the featherless arrows indicating the direction of the movements of the steering wheel, cables, and rudders in horizontally steering the machine to starboard, and the complete arrows indicating the direction of the movements of the steering wheel, cables, slides, and rudders in tilting the machine over to starboard or overcoming a tilt to port. And if the steering wheel and shaft are either swung forward or swing forward by gravity on the dipping of the aeroplanethe front gradient will be tilted up and the rear gradient down, thus tending to raise t-he bow and depress the stern of the machine. Movement of the steering wheel and shaft in directions opposite to those above indicated will, of course, reverse all the motions and consequently the action of the connecting cables, slides, rudders, and gradients.

lVhile- I haveillustrated and described .certain means by which to differentially change the relative areas of the forwardly inclined front and backwardly inclined rear wing sections and a form of control mechanism by which such means may be actuated in conjunction with a system of balancing rudders, it will be understood that the means specifically described may be variously modified, within the scope of' the appended claims, that such means may be actuated by any suitable cont-rolling mechanism, and that said means may be used as the sole means for maintaining lateral balance, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a system of aeroplane control, the combination with the main supporting wing surfaces on each side of the aeroplane of auxiliary surfaces mounted to move forward and aft at or near the tips thereof and means for differentially actuating said auxiliary surfaces to change the relative areas of the front and rear sections of said wing surfaces.

2. In a system of aeroplane control, the combination with a main supporting curved wing surface of an auxiliary surfaceniounted to slide forward and aft thereon near its outer end and means for moving said auxiliary surface either forwardly beyond the entering edge or backwardly behind the trailing edge of the main wing surface.

3. In a. system of aeroplane control, the combination with the main supporting curved wing surfaces on each side of an aeroplane of auxiliary surfaces mounted to slide fore and aft thereon near the opposite ends thereof and means for differentially moving said auxiliary surfaces so as to project'the auxiliary surface on one side of the aeroplane forward beyond the advancing edge of the main wing and the auxiliary surface on the other side of the aeroplane backwardly beyond the trailing edge of the main wing.

4. The combination with the curved wing of an aeroplane of two plates mounted to slide fore and aft on the forwardly inclined front and backwardly inclined rear sections near the outer end thereof, pivoted links connecting said sliding plates, and means for moving said plates either forwardly or backwardly to project one beyond and withdraw the other to the edge of the section upon which it is mounted.

5. In a system of aeroplane control, the

combination, with a steering shaft one end of which is adapted to be moved both forward and aft and laterally, of a steering wheel mounted on the movable end of said shaft, a bevel gear mounted to rotate with the axial rotation of said shaft and meshing with two bevel gears mounted to rotate on ,opposite. sides of said bevelgear" and each provided with a sheave mounted to rotate of said shaft, a lever arm rigidly secured to said shaft between the steering wheel and the universal joint and extending beyond said universal joint, a sheave mounted and connected so as to rotate with the lateral movement of said shaft and wheel, and two sheaves mounted and connected to rotate l5 differentially on the axial rotation of said shaft and wheel.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

EDSON F. GALLAUDET. Witnesses:

.W. E. DWIGHT,' GEORGE F. Hoaomnn. 

